Filling-replenishing mechanism for looms.



A. E. RHOADESJ FILLING REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOUMS.

APPLICATION FIYLED FEB. 8. I916.

1,191,734. Patentd July 18,1916.

Akmgo E. Rhoades,

A'lty s.

b azm mkm ALONZO E. RHOADES, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB- TO DBAPEB COM- IPANY, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FILLING-REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1916.

Application filed February 8, 1916. Serial No. 76,906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALONZO E. RHOADES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopedale, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Filling-Replenishing Mechanism for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to automatic filling replenishing mechanism for looms. In the patent to Ubald Hebert No. 1,185,094, granted May 30, 1916, there is described and set forth a loom in which the supply of fresh .filling carriers or bobbins is maintained in a rotary battery feeder or hopper, in which a definite relation of the filling carrier rotarily of its longitudinal axis with respect to the shuttle walls is requisite, in .which the seats for the butts of the filling carriers located in the periphery of the disk of the hopper are inclined to the radii of the hopper in order to assist in guiding the filling carriers during transfer to the shuttle on the lay which is beating up as transfer begins and to insure the proper positioning of the filling carrier in the shuttle to be replenished, in which a relatively fixed guiding abutment is employed to maintain the bobbin during transfer in the desired path or line of transfer,

and in which means are provided acting to give a required rotary movement of the hopper to maintain the filling carrier being transferred in contact with this abutment or in its required path or line of transfer until the filling carrier has passed entirely out from its seat in the hopper, and in which provision is made for thereupon locking the hopper from further rotation.

The present invention relates to a loom of the type shown in the said Hebert patent, and its object is to provide means for securing this required rotation of the hopper during transfer through the agency of a detent.

pawl pivotally mounted on the transferer.

The object of the invention is also to produce a simple construction in which the parts are few in number, but in which the desired rotation of the hopper is positively secured and is prevented when the desired amount of rotation has taken place.

These and other objects of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The drawings illustrate so much of a filling replenishing mechanism of the general type illustrated in the aforesaid patent to Hebert as is necessary to an understanding of the present invention with a preferred form of mechanism embodying the invention embodied therein.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation partially in transverse section of a suflicient portion of the loom necessary to a disclosure of the preferred form of the present invention showing the mechanism in position for transfer; Fig. 2 is a left hand end elevation of the detent pawl and portions of the cooperating ratchet wheel and transferer, the hopper disk being shown in cross section; Fig. 3 is a view in general similar to. Fig. 1 with the parts in the position assumed just as thefilling carrier or bobbin being transferred has left its seat in the hopper.

The general construction of the type of loom here involved being well known and familiar and the nature of the general object to be secured being fully set forth in the aforesaid patent to Hebert no extended description of either is here necessary.

The loom illustrated includes the rotatable battery, feeder or hopper comprising parallel disks between which the filling carriers such as bobbins are mounted in a circular series. But one of these disks, namely, the disk 1 provided with seats 2 for the butts of the bobbins is illustrated. The hopper is rotatably mounted on the fixed stud 3 rigidly heads of the bobbins and to retain them in position until they reach substantially their operative position, the flange terminating at the points 6 and 7 The filling carriers or bobbins 8 illus;

trated are of the same type as that set forth in the said Hebert patent in which the barrel of the bobbin is provided with a transverse slot or opening and cooperating with a feeler, whereby absence or exhaustion of the filling in the running shuttle is indicated. This requires that the bobbin when placed in the shuttle shall occupy a definite relation rotarily of its longitudinal axis with respect to the walls of the shuttle. For this purpose the butt of the bobbin is provided with a pair of parallel faces 9 which determine the position of the bobbin in the shuttle. The seats 2 in the disk 1 of the hopper are accordingly formed with parallel walls and of such width as to fit the butts of the bobbins, and thus retain the bobbins in fixed relation in the hopper.

( hen transfer of the bobbin from the hop" per begins the shuttle 10 which is to receive the bobbin is on the lay 11 beneath the hop per, and the lay is concluding its beat-up toward the left, viewing Fig. 1, and hence in order that the bobbin may surely enter the bobbin holding or gripping devices in the shuttle in correct position the seats 2 are inclined to the radii -of the hopper as illustrated.

The hopper stand 4; is provided with a relatively fixed abutment 12 against which the bobbin to be transferred is brought by the rotation of the hopper and during transfer from the hopper the bobbin is guiding against this abutment to direct it into the shuttle beneath. The flange 5 terminates at the point 7 a considerable distance from the abutment 12 but is effectively prolonged by the bobbin support 13 pivoted on the hopper stand at 14. This bobbin support serves to retain the bobbins nearest the abutment in. their seats in the hopper and yields upon the passage of the bobbin to be transferred to permit its discharge from the hopper.

The mechanism for effecting transfer of the bobbins as shown comprises the transferrer 15 pivoted on a horizontal stud 16 carried by the hopper stand 4: and provided with a depending arm 17 through which it is actuated upon the call for filling replenishment. The transferrer is normally elevated through the action of the usual spring 18 and is depressed to effect the transfer movement through the usual connections of the depending arm 17. At its free end the transferrer is provided with a downturned portion 19 to engage the bobbin and discharge it from its seat in the hopper disks.

The hopper is rotated to bring a fresh bobbin into position for transfer by suitable mechanism such ass the dog 20 pivotally mounted at 21 on the transferrer and provided with a tooth 22 cooperating with the teeth of a ratchet wheel 23 integral or moving synchronously with the hopper. Upon the reverse movement of the transferrer, the tooth 22 engages the ratchet wheel 23 rotates the hopper to bring the leading bobbin of the series in the hopper into contact with the abutment 12, and thus in a position for transfer. Hebert patent when the bobbin butt seats 2 are inclined it follows that as the bobbin during transfer moves out of its seat it would move away from the abutment 12 unless the rotation of the hopper be continued to maintain the bobbin in contact with the abutment until after it leaves its seat in the hopper. If this is not done the bobbin may ride up on the pivoted bobbin support 13 and thus transfer fail to be effected and a smash caused. The hopper is usually free to rotate but it cannot be depended upon to rotate to secure the proper operation of the parts, and certain means are provided in the Hebert patent to secure the desired amount of rotation of the hopper during transfer to maintain the bobbin in the desired path of transfer or in contact with the abutment 12.

In thepresent invention the desired result is secured through the use of the usual detent pawl and by mounting the detent pawl pivotally upon the transferrer in such a manner as to secure a toggle action which not only gives the desired amount of rotation to the hopper but when that amount of rotation has been secured prevents further rotation taking place.

The detent pawl 2a which is of a familiar type and shape cooperates at its free end wit-h the ratchet wheel 23 by means of the tooth 25. The normal function of this pawl is to prevent reverse rotation of the hopper. In the construction illustrated this detent pawl 21 is pivoted at 26 upon the transferrer and. this pivotal point is so located that when the transferrer is elevated this point is above an imaginary line joining the pivotal axis 16 of the transferrer with the effective point of contact of the detent pawl tooth 25 and ratchet wheel 23.

The detent pawl being thus pivotally mounted subserves its usual function of riding over the ratchet wheel but prevent-ing reverse rotation of the ratchet wheel and consequently of the hopper. But it also se cures the desired positive rotation of the hopper during transfer in order to maintain the bobbin being transferred against the abutment 12 or in the desired path of trans fer, notwithstanding the inclined character of the seats 2. This is due to the bodily movement of the detent pawl under the action of the transferrer and to the toggle action which takes place.

hen the transferrer 15 in the operation of transfer is moved downwardly contacting with and carrying downwardly the bob- But as explained in the said I bin to be transferred, it carries downwardly with it the pivotal point 26. The lines joining the pivotal points 26 and 16 on the one hand and the pivotal point 26 and the effective point of contact between the tooth and the ratchet wheel 23 on the other hand constitutes a toggle, and as the point 26 approaches the line joining the pivotal point 16 with the effective point of contact between the tooth 25 and the ratchet wheel 23 the toggle action takes place and the tooth 25 of the detent pawl acting against the ratchet wheel rotates the hopper and thus maintains the bobbin being transferred in contact with the guiding abutment 12. This movement of rotation must not be excessive, however, or the next succeeding bobbin in the hopper will be brought into contact with the transferrer or would be struck by the transferrer during its reverse movement. The proper position of the parts is secured by so arranging the pivotal point 26 of the detent pawl that when the transferrer has reached the position where the bobbin being transferred has passed out from its seat in the hopper there will be no further substantial rotation imparted to the hopper. This position of the parts is shown in Fig. 3 and as there illustrated the pivotal point 26 has approached substantially to the line joining the pivotal point 16 with the effective point of contact between the tooth 25 and ratchet wheel 23, so that during the further downward and reverse movement of the transferrer there will be substantially no toggle action, and consequently no further rotation of the hopper.

It will thus be seen that the construction illustrated is very simple requiring but few parts, not liable to get out of order, and yet securing the desired result satisfactorily and efficiently.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An automatic weft replenishing loom comprising a hopper stand, a hopper rotarily mounted thereon and provided with peripheral bobbin seats inclined to the radii of the hopper, a ratchet wheel connected to and rotating with the hopper, a transferrer pivotally mounted on the stand, a detent pawl cooperating with the ratchet wheel and pivotally mounted on the transferrer at a point which, when the transferrer is elevated, is above a line joining the pivotal axis of the transferrer with the effective point of contact of the detent pawl and ratchet whereby upon downward transfer movement of the transferrer a toggle action takes place causing the detent pawl to rotate the hopper to maintain the bobbin be ing transferred in the path of transfer until the bobbin passes from its seat.

2. An automatic weft replenishing loom comprising a hopper stand, a hopper rota'rily mounted thereon and provided with peripheral bobbin seats inclined to the radii of the hopper, a ratchet wheel connected to and rotating with the hopper, a transferrer pivotally mounted on the stand, an abutment to guide the bobbins in their discharge from the hopper seats during transfer, a detent pawl cooperating with the ratchet wheel and pivotally mounted on the transferrer at a point which, when the transferrer is elevated, is above a line joining the pivotal axis of the transferrer with the effective point of contact of the detent pawl and ratchet whereby upon downward transfer movement of the transferrer a toggle action-takes place causing thedetent pawl to rotate the hopper to maintain the bobbin being transferred in contact with the abutinent until the bobbin passes from its seat.

3. An automatic weft replenishing loom comprising a hopper stand, a hopper rotarily mounted thereon and provided with peripheral bobbin seats inclined to the radii of the hopper, a ratchet wheel connected to and rotating with the hopper, a transferrer pivotally mounted on the stand, a detent pawl cooperating with the ratchet wheel and pivotally mounted on the transferrer at a point which, when the transferrer is elevated, is above a line joining the pivotal axis of the transferrer with the effective point of contact with the detent pawl and ratchet, the parts being so proportioned that, when the bobbin being transferred leaves its seat in the hopper, the detent pawl pivot is substantially on said line, whereby upon downward transfer movement of thetransferrera .toggle action takes place causing the detent pawl to rotate the hopper to maintain the bobbin being transferred in the path of of the hopper, a ratchet wheel connected to and rotating with the hopper, a transferrer pivotally mounted on the stand, an abutment to guide the bobbins in their discharge from the hopper seats during transfer, a detent pawl. cooperating with the, ratchet wheel and pivotally mounted on the transferrer at a point which, when the transferrer is elevated, is above a line joining the pivotal axis of the transferrer with the efiective point of contact with the detent pawl and ratchet, the parts being so proportioned &

it ferrer the to 'le action takes )laee eausin 231: b

the detent pawl to rotate the hopper to maintain the bobbin being transferred in Contact with the abutment until the bobbin passes from its seat, and whereby the toggle action substantially ceases when the bobbin 1: leaves its seat in the hopper, thus preventing; further rotation of the hopper.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALONZO n. nnonnns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

